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A cake in and of itself can be beautiful! But, there are some tiny little touches that you can add to the cake to give it that extra touch, elegance, or ambiance to your wedding. And one way is through cake stands! Cake stands create more of a statement piece for your cake. They also add height, making your cake more grand in show! You can also choose a slightly larger stand and place fresh flowers, candles, or other adornments around your cake too!

Perhaps my very favorite cake stand is the Pedestal Stand. This elegant stand gives your cake a little extra height, while resting on a single pedestal. It's a more dainty stand, but is strong in character. The come as simple or as ornate as you wish. One word of caution, I recommend placing no larger than 3 stacked tiers on a pedestal stand. While, I've stacked 4 tier cakes on them...it makes me nervous since the weight is not as centrally located.

The most popular stand is the more traditional Footed Cake Stand. This cake stand has 4 legs around the base of the stand. Typically they are not quite as tall as the Pedestal stand, but are larger and thicker. These are great for 4 and 5 tier cakes as they are sturdy and heavy. The stand is also more dominant, making the stand itself more of a show piece.

Popular with more rustic or shabby chic weddings is the Wooden Stand. These stands are large wooden blocks, often stained or decorated with lace or other adornments used in the wedding. Couples can event paint their last name, Mr. & Mrs, or some other cute wording on the cake. These customizable stands can be used in their home as decoration or for parties and other entertaining events. They make a lovely keep sake of their wedding day that can be enjoyed for years to come.

We have been a little silent about our new kitchen expansion, so I thought I would fill y'all in on the progress! Right now, it's slow. When we opened our custom cake shop 10 years ago, one thing we decided on was to run our business debt free! The drawback is that things take a little longer because we have to save up for them first. New ideas aren't flashy or instantaneous. But, the good thing is that the business is 100% stable. No bride has to worry about finding out our bake shop closed down because we couldn't pay our debt or got behind on our rent...because there is none! Since we announced our plans for our new kitchen last May we have been saving and saving!

And now we are slowly ready to begin! Yesterday we met with our electrician. We walked through our space and drew out the plans...where would my oven go, my fridge, storage...and the fun one...my consultation room! I don't know why but I am so excited to begin designing my consultation room!! All the beautiful cake masterpieces that will be created in that room! We mapped out every plug and wattage, as well as additional electricity for growth in the years to come! Since our building was not created to be a commercial kitchen we are needing to bring in more electricity to our space. So the electricity will be probably (hopefully) our biggest hurdle. But, we are working through all the details and they will begin digging trenches and putting in the new wires, boxes, and all things electrical within the next few weeks!

This is our biggest step. Once this is completed our second to biggest step is our plumbing. After that it should a fairly quick and easy process. Fingers crossed our goal is to have our new kitchen completed and ready to go by the fall!

Round wedding cakes...they are the traditional shape of an elegant and classy wedding cake! They are so beautiful to look at, but cutting it...well that's another story. Or is it? Round wedding cakes look pretty difficult to cut. However, with the help of a few tricks they are rather easy. Here is the best way to cut a cake to get the most servings and create beautiful looking slices for your guests to enjoy!

When you cut your cake you want to imagine going into the cake about 2 inches. From that point you will begin to cut a small line, staying about 2 inches from the end, creating a semi-circle. Once you have that base you want to cut down from your semi-circle to the end of the cake. Slide your knife over an inch and cut again. Then plate. Go over another inch and cut down, serving your second slice. And so forth. This will give you a beautiful slice of cake that is roughly 5 inches tall, 2 inches long, and 1 inch wide. I need to make a video showcasing this technique, but in the meantime hopefully this photo will suffice. Once you have finished the first row, go in another 2 inches and repeat the process. When you get to a small circle in the middle of your cake then you will cut that in half and either serve or cut those two haves in half as well...giving your guests yet another nice rectangle slice of cake.

So, order your round cake and get the look you want...slice with ease...and ENJOY!

Join us as we welcome Austin's newest wedding venue Georgetown Gardens! This quaint outdoor garden venue is filled with beautiful greenery and lovely landscaping. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Bruce and Glenna as they have prepared to open the doors of their venue and they have created a beautiful garden scene for your wedding and reception!

Join us as they officially launch their venue at their Open House this Sunday, March 18th from 2:00 to 6:00 pm!! Come and tour their property and see the gardens for yourself. My sweet and lovely assistant, Crickett, will be there representing Kayla Knight Cakes. Stop by our booth and say hi to her. She'll have some cake samplings for your to taste! Grab a brochure and talk to her about your flavor choices. Check out one of our albums for inspiration, and visualize our mock cake on your wedding day. While your there you can stroll by the other vendors tables and see all they have to offer too!

Last week we discussed the color trend for 2018 brides! Today, let's give those taste buds some attention!! We have definitely noticed a flavor trend this year. And that trend is....fresh fruit!! Brides and Grooms are going crazy for the refreshing taste of a berry infused dessert, especially after a heavy meal! There are two popular ways couples are incorporating fruit into their wedding.

One way to incorporate fruit into your cake is through your filling! Couples are selecting a fruit filling to pair with their cake. French Vanilla is the most popular flavor choice for wedding cakes, and couples are pairing it with a lovely strawberry and cream cheese filling or maybe a nice raspberry or lemon! However, there are other nice flavors that pair well with fruit...like our pink champagne or rosewater cakes. That little pop of fruit in every bite of cake adds just the right amount of sweet and savory to your wedding dessert.

Another way to incorporate fruit into your cake is with adornments! Yes, couples are mixing fruit with their floral's on the cake to give the cake a refreshing glow. And some couples are opting out of flowers all together and just placing an assortment of berries around their cake...and maybe add a touch of greenery for some pop.

Thinking about using fruit in your wedding cake? Let's discuss some ideas!

It’s not purple, lilac or even violet. This wedding season, we are talking about the trending and energy-provoking color, ultraviolet. Ultraviolet has been officially named Pantone's 2018 Color of the Year and we could not be more excited to see how this bold and royal color is going to be used in the wedding community!

Described as “inventive and imaginative”, ultraviolet is a wonderful color to incorporate into everything from your wedding party attire, floral decorations, down to the detailing of your wedding cake. You might be thinking, but how do you tastefully incorporate such a vibrant, bold color into your wedding without it being overpowering? Whether you’re not afraid to go all out or are just looking to use this color sparingly to highlight small details, here are a few of our suggestions and ideas to use this striking color in your special day!Venue and Florals

If you’re looking for a simple way to use ultraviolet into your wedding, think about accenting the details of your wedding venue with flowers that naturally come in ultraviolet hues. Fresh florals pack a wow factor and give your atmosphere a dose of romance and elegance. Lilac, bellflowers and sage are all great options for tying in shades of ultraviolet. Sprinkle the aisle of your ceremony with fresh spring flowers, or incorporate them in table centerpieces at your reception. Overall, when it comes to your venue, think about how using ultraviolet can highlight the theme of your wedding and how it can contribute to your vision for your special day.Wedding Party AttireAnother way to incorporate this eye-catching color in your wedding is using it in the your bridal party’s attire. Your bridesmaids will look stunning in these ultraviolet bridesmaid dresses from Dessy. You might be wondering, what tux or suit could groomsmen wear to compliment this prominiate color? I recommend something more subtle and casual, like a grey suit from The Black Tux’s wedding tuxedo and suit rentals. Grey has a way of pulling in the colors of your wedding, especially purple-inspired tones, without being contrasting or overpowering. For a subtle matching accent, use ultraviolet in your groomsmen’s ties, socks, or vests. Standing together, your wedding party will look perfectly paired (and dressed!) for the occasion.

Your Wedding Cake

If you want to incorporate ultraviolet into your cake a new trendy way is through watercolor. By adding a light splash of color to your cake it will make your cake pop and give it that extra little flair! If you prefer a more natural way to add ultraviolet to your cake fresh floral is a perfect choice. An all white cake is a timeless tradition and by adding natural ultraviolet flowers to adorn your cake your elegant cake will be one you swoon over for years to come.

Want more insight and tips for your wedding? Check out The Black Tux for lots of helpful information.

There is so much advice online today about what to do and what not to do when planning a wedding. It's easy to get caught up, and overwhelmed, with all the advice. However, sometimes previous brides can offer some great advice. So, today I wanted to talk about the top 3 biggest regrets brides have when it came to their wedding cake:Regret #3 - Not ordering enough cake. It seems like an easy way to cut money, by skimming on the cake slices a little. "Most people won't eat the cake" is a comment I hear often. Ahhh...but a great tasting cake...they will and they do. By trying to skimp on the servings somebody gets left out. Aside from the couple, family are the most important attendees at the wedding. And since they are usually busy helping with the wedding or mingling with guests they are usually the last ones to eat too. Which means, family (and the couple) are the one's who end up not getting a slice of that yummy cake they had been dreaming about for months. Regret #2 - Focusing more on the glam of a cake and less about the quality or taste of the cake. It is very easy to get caught up in all of the spark and pizzazz of some cakes, especially fondant or sculpted cakes. I'll be honest, they look really cool. But oftentimes to make a cake look like that you have to manipulate the cake, making it more tough and dry (or even using non edible parts of the cake). Many brides who chose a flashy cake wished they had gone with something a little more simple and realistic. While they did get a lot of "oohs and aahhhs" about the look of the cake, most guests were less than impressed with the taste of the cake and much of it went into the trash at the end of the evening. If brides could do it again, rather than spending thousands on a "wow factor" cake that ends up in the trash, they would save some money and order a more traditional styled cake that guests inhaled! Regret #1 - The biggest regret from some brides when planning their wedding cake...not hiring a professional. The common consensus that most brides who used a friend to make their cake was that they were displeased with the overall look. While many brides said the cake did taste good, the look just didn't have a pretty look to it, or that it looked unpolished. If they could do it over again, they would forgo the friendly gesture and hire a professional to make their cake. And then there are those tragedy cakes too....the leaning cakes or cakes that ended up on the floor because the friend-baker has never made anything larger than a birthday cake and doesn't understand the structure of a multi-tiered wedding cake.

Engagement season is here and before you know it 2018 will be too. Are you starting to get ideas for the perfect cake for your wedding? Here are a few cake designs that brides are currently swooning over:

Drip Cakes - Naked cakes have been a popular design choice for several years and brides love of the naked cake isn't going away. However, adding a chocolate drizzle (or even a white chocolate or colored drizzle) is quickly becoming the new craze!

Gold Flakes - Gold started making a comeback in weddings a few years ago, but recently the love of gold flakes on a cake has caught the attention of brides everywhere. And yes...those little flakes are REAL ​gold. Color Blocked Cakes - White used to be the hit for weddings. Then brides wanted color on their cakes. Now brides are still loving the white look of a cake, but adding just a pop of color, almost like a watercolor effect. The cake above and below are great examples of color blocked cakes.

Texture - Texture is another trend that brides just can't get enough of. To add to the texture trend though, brides are mixing up their tiers to incorporate multiple trends in one cake! Check out the cake below! We have the ruffled texture bottom tier, the metallic gold drip on the top and middle tier, and the color block on the middle tier. Super trendy, and yet still elegant and beautiful. Add the gorgeous fresh flower cascade to soften the cakes image and voila!

Today's blog was inspired by y'all! I have been noticing a question popping up with more and more brides, so I thought I would discuss it and hopefully it will help out more brides who have been thinking about it but haven't thought to ask (or maybe who haven't considered it yet, but now will) .

The question: "What flavors of buttercream icing do you have?"

The answer: Whatever you want within reason. Well, that's the short answer at least. Buttercream is buttercream. All you have to do to make a buttercream flavored is to add an extract. So that super fancy, orange cream buttercream icing....that's just buttercream with orange extract in it. Sorry to ruin the fanciness of the name, but it is what it is. My traditionally flavored buttercream cakes are Vanilla Buttercream and yes, they are flavored with a clear vanilla extract, so not to distort the white color. However, if you have another flavor in mind let's discuss. It's a simple fix to getting you the flavor you wish. I have done peppermint buttercream (Christmas is coming up...what a lovely addition to your holiday wedding). Almond buttercream is another popular option. Amaretto buttercream, pistachio buttercream, orange buttercream, pecan buttercream and much more. Basically, as long as I can get my hands on the extract the flavor is yours!

When thinking about your cake flavor, if you want to add an extra little pop to your cake, consider adding a flavoring to your buttercream!

Naked cakes have been all the rage for probably the last 2 years. And it is a cake trend that is still going strong after all this time! However, did you know there are different styles of naked cakes? Yep! There is more to the naked cake then meets the eye. Here are a few different ways we can make a naked cake.

The Truly Naked Cake: This cake is completely naked on the outside, meaning there is no icing. Most brides choose to place icing in between each of the layers to give those with a sweet tooth their sugar fix! However, some choose to put a fruit filling in between the layers to and allow it to gently pour over the sides of the cake, giving it a more organic look. Since this style cake is very unique, most brides choose to adorn their cake with fresh fruit and maybe even a little powdered sugar.

The Semi-Naked Cake: Technical term - it's a dirty iced cake. A lot of brides love this middle of the road naked cake look. There is a small amount of icing around the top and sides of each tier, allowing for some icing on the cake but still leaving most of the cake exposed. Since there is some icing on the outside of the cake more brides go for a fruit filling, however a buttercream filling is still a popular choice for this style cake. Flower adornments are more popular with this style cake. Another popular idea is to mix the fresh fruit with the flowers. It's a beautiful mix!

Thick Semi-Naked Cake: Currently, this is the most popular style of naked cakes. The top and sides of the cake are pretty much covered in icing, however it is so thin that the cake is still exposed underneath. This is a beautiful look. And...bonus! For the bride who is worried that the cake will dry out without icing (little tidbit...it might a little because the icing acts like a glue to hold the moisture inside the cake) this will be the best option because the cake still has a small layer of icing on it. Either fruit or buttercream fillings are a great choice for this cake, although most brides still choose a buttercream filling for those icing lovers! This cake also is gorgeous with either fruit or flower (or both) adornments.

So if you are considering a naked cake for your wedding go the extra mile and look at the different styles to see which one fits your wedding the best!